Cristobal Welcomes Inaugural Recruits With 13 Early Signees

While the past 12 days have been hectic for new head coach Mario Cristobal, with the signatures of 13 talented recruits to open the early signing period it appears the transition from the short-lived Willie Taggart era was as seamless as the Ducks could possibly have hoped.

Not that the day wasn’t without drama as a pair of last minute defections and couple of late offers reshaped the incoming class.

This was the first year the NCAA has allowed early signatures and the timing of the process was clunky at best given the regime change and the early bowl game. But with 13 names on the dotted line and now another six weeks to complete the class before the traditional February signing date, the Ducks reeled in the top-ranked class in the Pac-12 and the 10th ranked class nationally.

“This is kind of the half-way point; lots of work to be done,” said Cristobal. “But it is a pretty good start.”

Courtesy of the Oregon Media office here are the 13 newest Ducks:

M.J. Cunningham, LB, 6-3, 230, Fr., Portland, Ore. (Madison HS)The 26th-ranked athlete in the country and eighth overall prospect in Oregon by 24-7 Sports … Ranked 33rd among athletes and eighth in the state by Rivals … A 24-7 Sports three-star recruit … Transferred to Madison High School for senior season after spending first three years at Franklin High School … Missed all of senior season due to injury … Threw for 1,282 yards and 21 touchdowns while running for three more as a junior … A first-team All-Portland Interscholastic League selection at linebacker as a sophomore, helping Franklin to an OSAA 6A state playoffs appearance … Intercepted five passes and made 57 tackles while recovering two fumbles and forcing two … Also received offers from Hawaii, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, Utah State and Washington State.

Travis Dye, RB, 5-11, 180, Fr., Norco, Calif. (Norco HS)The 67th-ranked running back in the nation and 113th overall prospect in California by 24-7 Sports … Ranked 96th in the state by Rivals … A 24-7 Sports three-star recruit … Named the Big VIII League Offensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2017 … Ran for 2,383 yards on 255 carries with 34 touchdowns … Averaged 216.6 rushing yards per game and 9.3 yards per carry and ran for more than 100 yards in nine games … Racked up 1,878 yards on the ground on 259 carries with 15 touchdowns as a junior … Surpassed 100 yards eight times while averaging 7.3 yards per carry and 156.5 yards per game … Caught 29 passes for 465 yards and six touchdowns … As a sophomore, ran for 844 yards on 94 carries with nine touchdowns … Averaged 9.0 yards per carry and 84.4 yards per game … Brother of Oregon sophomore linebacker Troy Dye.

Jamal Elliott, RB, 5-10, 180, Durham, N.C. (Hillside HS)The 13th-ranked running back in the nation and 11th overall prospect in North Carolina by 24-7 Sports … A 24-7 Sports four-star recruit … Played in three games his senior season before being sidelined due to injury … Racked up 290 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns over the three-game span, rushing for 128 yards on 38 carries and catching 13 passes for 164 yards … Led Hillside with 11 touchdowns scored as a junior; nine rushing, two receiving and one kickoff return … Finished junior year with 684 rushing yards on 83 carries, averaging 8.2 yards per carry … Ran for more than 100 yards four times in 2016 … Also received offers from Appalachian State, Arizona, Boston College, Charlotte, Duke, East Carolina, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Mississippi State, N.C. State, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Andrew Faoliu, DL, 6-3, 255, Fr., Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei)The 86th-ranked defensive end in the nation and 167th overall recruit out of California according to 24-7 Sports … A 24-7 Sports three-star recruit … Recorded 42 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss, eight sacks and two pass deflections as a senior … Helped Mater Dei win the 2017 California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section state title making three tackles and two sacks in the championship game against St. John Bosco … Made five tackles in Mater Dei’s CIF bowl win over De La Salle … Invited to play in the 2018 Polynesian Bowl … Brother of Oregon freshman defensive lineman Austin Faoliu … Also received offers from Arizona, Illinois, Texas-San Antonio and Utah State.

Jevon Holland, S, 6-1, 182, Fr., Pleasanton, Calif. (Bishop O’Dowd HS)The 14th-ranked safety in the nation and 153rd overall prospect by 24-7 Sports … Ranked as the 21st overall prospect from California by 24-7 Sports … A 24-7 Sports four-star recruit … Accumulated 34 tackles, four pass deflections and a team-high five interceptions as a senior … Named the 2017 North Coast Section Co-Defensive Player of the Year … Also Bishop O’Dowd’s top wide receiver in 2017, accumulating 1,012 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns on 35 catches … Helped lead Bishop O’Dowd to a Division III state semifinal appearance … Also returned 23 punts averaging 22 yards per return while scoring five touchdowns … Accounted for 119 total tackles and 18 pass deflections during high school career … Selected to play in the 2018 USA Football International Bowl … Also received offers from Arizona, Boise State, California, Colorado, Illinois, Nebraska, Nevada, Notre Dame, UCLA, Utah State, Washington and Washington State.

Adrian Jackson, ILB, 6-2, 210, Fr., Denver, Colo. (Mullen HS)The No. 1 ranked recruit out of Colorado and 11th-ranked inside linebacker according to 24-7 Sports … A 24-7 sports four-star recruit … A 2017 first-team all-state selection … Invited to play in the 2018 Under Armour All-American game … Racked up 65 tackles, 54 solo, along with two interceptions and a fumble recovery as a senior … Accounted for 160 total tackles during high school career … Ran on the Mullen’s track team, earning three first-place finishes as a part of the Mustang’s 4×100 meter relay squad … Also received offers from Colorado, Colorado State, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, TCU, USC, Utah and Wisconsin.

Dawson Jaramillo, OL, 6-5, 295, Fr., Portland, Ore. (Lake Oswego HS)The 15th-ranked offensive tackle in the country and the No. 4 overall recruit out of Oregon according to 24-7 Sports … A 24-7 Sports four-star recruit … Selected to play in the 2018 Under Armour All-American Game … Picked to participate in the 2018 Polynesian Bowl … Helped Lake Oswego reach the Oregon State 6A semifinals his senior season … Named to the 2017 Class 6A first-team offense … 2017 all-league selection … Earned all-league and all-state honorable mention recognitions his junior year … Also received offers from California, Oregon State, TCU, UCLA, Utah, Virginia and Washington.

Steven Jones, OL, 6-6, 340, Fr., Temecula, Calif. (Chaparral HS)Ranked eighth in the country among offensive guards and 28th overall in California by Rivals … The ninth-ranked offensive guard in the nation and 30th-overall prospect in the state by 24-7 Sports … Ranked 31st in the state and 16th at his position by ESPN … A 24-7 Sports four-star recruit … Named first-team All-Southwestern League as a senior … Helped open holes for a Chaparral offense that averaged 205.7 rushing yards per game and surpassed 200 yards six times … Earned first-team All-Southwestern League honors as a junior … Paved the way for a running game that averaged 177.1 yards per game and went over 100 rushing yards in eight games … Also received offers from Boise State, California, Colorado, Iowa State, Louisville, San Diego State, TCU, UCLA, UNLV, Utah, Washington and Washington State.

Christopher Randazzo, OL, 6-7, 330, Fr., Chino, Calif. (Don Lugo HS)The 48th-ranked offensive tackle in the country and 70th-overall prospect in California by Rivals … Ranked 75th among all prospects in the state and 57th at his position by 24-7 Sports … A 24-7 Sports three-star recruit … Named first-team All-Mt. Baldy League as a senior … Opened holes for a Don Lugo offense that averaged 149.6 rushing yards per game and eclipsed the 100-yard mark in every game … Helped lead the Conquistadors to a CIF Southern Section Division 7 runner-up finish … A second-team All-Mt. Baldy League selection as a junior … Paved the way for 246.5 yards per game on the ground and 34.1 points per game, helping Don Lugo to a Mt. Baldy League title … Part of an offensive line that led the way for 164.5 rushing yards per game and 344.5 total yards as a sophomore … Also received offers from Arizona State, Fresno State, Utah and Washington State.

Tyler Shough, QB, 6-5, 197, Fr., Chandler, Ariz. (Hamilton HS)The fifth-ranked pro-style quarterback in the nation and top overall recruit in Arizona by 24-7 Sports … Ranked 128th among all prospects and fifth among pro-style quarterbacks by Rivals … A 24-7 Sports four-star recruit … Participated in the Elite 11 camp with the nation’s top quarterback prospects … Selected first-team 6A Premier League as a senior … Named first-team All-Chandler Unified School District … Threw 30 touchdowns and five interceptions, finishing with 3,071 passing yards while completing 62.4 percent of passes … Passed for 238 yards and three touchdowns to lead Hamilton to a first-round win in the Arizona Interscholastic Association State Championships … Earned All-Premier League honorable mention recognition as a junior in 2016 … Finished with 2,079 yards passing, 27 touchdowns and a 62.3 completion percentage … Tossed three touchdown pases and threw for 262 yards in a state quarterfinal los
… Also received offers from Alabama, Arizona State, California, Colorado State, Florida State, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon State, San Jose State, South Carolina, Texas-San Antonio, Washington State and Western Kentucky.

Steve Stephens, S, 6-0, 185, Fr., Fresno, Calif. (Edison HS)The 11th-ranked safety and 15th overall prospect in California by 24-7 Sports.com … Ranked 116th overall according to 24-7 Sports … A 24-7 Sports four-star recruit … Named the California Metro Area Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior … A 2018 Under Armour All-American Game selection … Recorded 53 tackles, including four tackles for loss and one sack, as a senior … Broke up 14 passes and led the team with four interceptions … Scored two touchdowns as Edison’s punt returner, averaging 21 yards per return … A dual-threat on offense and defense, catching 12 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns as a senior … Also received offers from Arizona State, Boise State, California, Colorado, Eastern Washington, Fresno State, LSU, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon State, San Jose State, USC and Washington State.

Sione Vea Kava, DL, 6-6, 270, Jr., Honolulu, Hawaii (Kalani HS/East Los Angeles College)Ranked 30th among all junior college prospects in California and 32nd at defensive tackle by 24-7 Sports … A 24-7 Sports three-star junior college recruit… Played two years at East Los Angeles College … 2017 All-California Community College Region IV Defensive Player of the Year … Named the Metro League Defensive Player of the year as a sophomore … Recorded five sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss with 23 tackles and a forced fumble … Made 22 tackles and had two sacks with five blocked kicks as a freshman … Graduated from Kalani High School in 2016 … Named second-team All-Hawaii by ScoringLive as a senior in 2015 … Earned honorable mention all-state recognition from the Honolulu Star Advertiser … Selected first-team All-OIA … Recorded three sacks in a season-opening win … Also received offers from Arizona State, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Hawaii, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon State and Syracuse.

Haki Woods, CB, 6-3, 192, Jr.,Chicago, Ill. (Pima CC/South Bend Washington HS)The ninth-ranked junior college cornerback and 13th-ranked player out of Arizona according to 24-7 Sports … 76th-ranked overall prospect … A 24-7 Sports three-star recruit … Originally committed to Indiana State, where he redshirted in 2014 before transferring to Pima Community College for two seasons … Named a 2017 second-team NJCAA All-American … Received 2017 Western States Football League first-team defensive back and first-team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference honors as a sophomore … Recorded 45 tackles, 35 solo, and five pass breakups in 2017 … Two-time all-state and all-conference selection at Washington High School in South Bend, Ind. … Also received offers from Arizona, California, Oklahoma State and Utah.